


The Man That Once Was

by xXdreameaterXx



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Corrupt Lord President!Twelve AU, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-07
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-06-06 04:49:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6738787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xXdreameaterXx/pseuds/xXdreameaterXx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor has reigned Gallifrey as Lord President since the Time War. Driven mad by power he has one goal in mind: the utter and absolute extinction of the Daleks. Until one day a seemingly ordinary human girl attempts to steal his most precious possession just to bring a little hope to the entire universe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The Doctor stood at the end of the Hight Council chamber, his back facing the room along with his obligations and his eyes set on the land in front of him. Gallifrey. He had spent so many centuries running from it and even more centuries ruling over it. It seemed that with him there were only two extremes – fight or flight.   
And fought he had. Even though the Doctor had tried his best to outrun the Time War it had had a habit of catching up with him, haunting him until he had decided to end it once and for all over 1200 years ago. Thanks to him the children could now continue to run across the fields of red grass like he had done as a boy, thanks to him the Daleks were now almost on the brink of extinction. _Almost._ But almost wasn't good enough. The Doctor, Lord President of the Supreme Council of Gallifrey and all his dominions, Holder of the Wisdom of Rassilon, Preserver of the Matrix, Guardian of the Legacy of Omega, the Oncoming Storm, the Cruel Tyrant, the Slaughterer of the 10 Billion, the Vessel of the Final Darkness, the Beast, the Predator. He had so many names, so many titles for a man with such a simple goal – to destroy every last Dalek in existence.   
Most of them had perished in the Time War after he had chosen to take arms but every now and then there was still talk of a sighting and when that happened he sent out a small army that was only to return with the dead and empty tank of a Dalek or not to return at all. Of course many of the soldiers had deserted before risking the Doctor's wrath by coming back empty handed but some were still successful even now. Sometimes, when he was sure that the Daleks had occupied a planet he himself would lead the attack – or blow the planet up altogether to make sure he had gotten even the last, stinking, well disguised Dalek puppet.

The door to the High Council chamber opened behind him and the Doctor heard the distinct sound of the Castellan of the Chancellery Guard clearing his throat.   
“Lord President, we have-”  
The Doctor shot around, glaring at him. This regeneration that they had granted him after his last one had died of old age in office was blessed with very distinct facial features and a set of eyebrows that could make a grown man shiver under the Doctor's gaze. He had been an authority figure for over a thousand years, it was about time he looked the part. Sure, this regeneration had also come with a hint of madness and an impatience to deal with idiots such as the Castellan but the Doctor had decided that it was a small price to pay and that he could live with that for a few centuries.   
“How many years have you served as Castellan?” the Doctor asked him in a calm but threatening manner.  
The man opened his mouth. “That would be 374 years and two regenerations,” he replied eventually.  
“And how many times have I told you to address me not as Lord President but as Doctor?”  
“Many times, sir,” he swallowed hard.  
“Good,” the Doctor said, putting on a false smile, “Maybe one day it will sink into your pudding brain. Now, what is it that you wanted to tell me?”  
The Castellan straightened his shoulders. “Sir, we've heard reports about strange goings-on in the Dalek Asylum. As you know, we've placed it under constant surveillance according to your orders.”  
“Yes, yes,” the Doctor waved his hand impatiently. He had given that order after a failed attempt to destroy the planet, realizing it could only be done from inside the planet itself, “I know my own orders. What's happening? Are they waking up?”  
“We don't know,” the Castellan admitted warily, as if waiting to be struck by the Doctor's fist at any given moment, “The men instructed to observe everything that happens around the planet have picked up on signals emitting from the centre. They say they hear music.”  
The Doctor frowned. “What kind of music?”  
The Castellan retrieved a communicator from his robes and switched to live feed. Immediately the High Council chamber was flooded with an all too familiar melody, one the Doctor hadn't heard in centuries but still recognized after only a few notes.   
“Carmen,” he said more to himself than anyone else.   
“Excuse me?”  
The Doctor shook his head, tearing free from his precious memories of Earth and the time he had spent wandering this silly little planet. He told himself he was needed here, that only he could rid the universe of those tank-clad abominations but the truth was that he missed it terribly.   
“Carmen,” the Doctor repeated, “An opera by Georges Bizet. From Earth. Why is a Dalek listening to Earth music? Has anyone been down there to check?”  
At the mere suggestion of it the Castellan's eyes widened in horror. “No, sir,” he almost panted.  
“Well, ask around if there are any suicidal Time Lords who would like to give it a try,” he said and turned to face the window again. The sight of Gallifrey used to have a calming effect, reminding him of what it was that he fought for.   
“There is something else,” the Castellan said carefully as if he was afraid of the Doctor's reaction, “There was an incident at the barn.”  
Again the Doctor shot around. The barn. The place where he kept it, heavily guarded by his best and most trusted men.  
“What kind of incident?” the Doctor demanded to know, his voice angry and cold.  
“Well,” he spluttered, “A girl was caught breaking into the barn. She's not from Gallifrey.”  
For a moment the Doctor couldn't believe the words he heard. Gallifrey was shielded, no one could come or go without the Doctor's explicit consent – yet someone seemed to have managed to land a ship unharmed and undetected and not only that, the same someone had broken into the most heavily guarded and protected place on the entire planet.   
“A girl, you say?” the Doctor asked in disbelief.  
“Yes, a young woman. Shall we execute her like the others?”  
The Doctor considered it for a moment. Thieves from all over Gallifrey had tried to break into that barn and at some point the Doctor had decided to put an end to it. Everyone who was caught attempting to steal it would be sentenced to death and shot again before they could regenerate. It was the only way he could think of to protect his most precious possession because who knew, one day he might need it again.   
“No,” he concluded after a moment, “Bring her here. I need to know how she managed to find a way past our barriers.”  
The Castellan nodded. “Very well, sir.”

A few minutes passed before the sound of a woman's voice echoed through the corridors and the Doctor's mind ran wild trying to imagine what sort of woman could have achieved the unachievable. When the door opened and the Doctor turned around to look at her he was more than just a little disappointed. Tiny, wide face, large eyes and a funny nose – a perfectly ordinary girl. In fact, he wasn't entirely sure if she wasn't a dwarf.  
The Doctor cocked an eyebrow at her. “Who are you?” he demanded to know.  
The guards shoved her further into the room and the woman glared at them before she straightened herself up and raised her chin as high as she could. “I'm Clara,” she said proudly as if her name alone was something to be proud of.  
The Doctor considered her for a long moment. Nothing special about her from the outside. She was pretty, but he had seen many pretty faces. Maybe she was smart? How else could she have breached the barrier?  
“Leave us alone,” the told the guards that retreated immediately, closing the door behind them.  
“Clara,” he repeated her name, letting it flow over his tongue like a mantra, “Clara. Clara Clara Clara. _Clara._ Cla-Ra. Who are you?”  
“My, you sound a broken record,” she snorted, laughing at him as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.  
Then again, maybe she wasn't so smart after all, insulting the Lord President, the man that was going to decide over her life. He eyed her with suspicion but not without some form of admiration. This woman was brave, he had to admit that much. Not many people dared to speak out against him these days.  
“Who are you?” the Doctor repeated carefully and took a step forward to look at her from up close.  
Clara giggled but now that he was standing right in front of her the Doctor could see the fear buried deep down in her eyes. “Again, broken record,” she laughed nervously, “I'm Clara.”  
The Doctor growled in frustration. “This is leading nowhere,” he said, “Tell me how you got here!”  
“No,” the woman shook her head, a light smile on her lips.   
She was playing him, him – the Lord President, the Oncoming Storm, and this girl had the nerve to play him.  
“Why not?” he demanded to know. The Doctor couldn't recall the last time someone had refused to answer his questions.  
“Because,” Clara began and turned away, slowly walking across the room towards the window before she turned back around to face him, “Once you know how I got here you're going to kill me. But you need to know so you can fix the breach, which means I'm alive for as long as I keep my mouth shut about it.”  
The Doctor squinted his eyes at her, considering his response for a long moment. He could have her executed, in fact, he should if only for the simply reason that she was playing games with him. The breach in the barrier? She was the first person in centuries to have found it, it was unlikely another person would be so smart and then he could just execute them as well. But the truth was that Clara intrigued him and the Doctor was nothing if not utterly bored. It could be fun to have her around for a little while until he either broke her or grew tired of her impertinence.   
“Guards!” the Doctor yelled, keeping his eyes fixed on Clara just to see the fear sparkle up on her face when she thought she had forfeit her life.  
The two guards that had brought her to him came barging back into the High Council chamber before they came to a halt to await the Doctor's orders. And he made sure to hesitate long enough to give them so as to stoke her fear a little more.  
“Show this woman to a guest chamber where she can wash and change into clothes that aren't dusty. I will continue her interrogation over dinner tonight.”  
With a weird satisfaction he eyed the confusion that was displayed so plainly on her face as the guards took her arms and started leading her out of the High Council chamber but the Doctor turned around once more.  
“And make sure she's very well guarded,” the Doctor commanded, “I'm not letting her out of my sight before I have some answers.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so very much for the first comments and I hope you'll continue to like this story. Now, please form a line everyone who'd like to be interrogated by the Doctor:

The guards brought her to his chambers after a fancy dinner had been served on his dining table and to the Doctor's surprise he noticed she had indeed taken his advise to heart, washed and put on a plain, Gallifreyan dress. Originally he had assumed she would be too stubborn to simply follow his orders like that. Once the guards had left them to wait outside the door – just in case she would try to make a run for it – the Doctor gestured for Clara to have a seat.  
He cast his heavy robes aside and was promptly met with Clara's laughter. The Doctor turned around, glaring at her in confusion. “What's so funny?”  
She covered her mouth with her hand but was still unable to stop giggling. “I don't know. You're the one in the plaid trousers, you tell me.”  
“Stop laughing,” he growled at her but it only seemed to amuse her more.  
“The Doctor, the Great Warrior, the Forgotten Hero,” she paused, suppressing another laugh, “The Wannabe Punk Grandpa.”  
Slowly the Doctor walked towards his chair and took a seat on the opposite end of the dining table, eyeing her with great interest now. “The Forgotten Hero?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. That wasn't a name he had heard before.  
Clara's features relaxed, leaving her with a soft smile. “That's what they call you where I'm from,” she explained.  
“Where are you from?” the Doctor asked, trying to sound casual as he reached for his glass to have a sip of water. He watched her and realized she had picked up on his attempt to continue his interrogation but still she replied.  
“Terra Nova,” Clara answered.  
“Ah, one of the first human colonies outside of Earth. Is it still as lovely as it was when I last visited?”  
“I don't know,” she said with a hint of sadness in her voice, “I left when I was sixteen.”  
“And how did you end up here?” he asked her, thinking he might as well try to be blunt at first. If that didn't work he could still find other methods.  
“I grew up hearing stories about you,” Clara continued, smiling. There was something in her eyes, an emotion that the Doctor couldn't quite place, “Every child on Terra Nova would go to sleep hearing bedtime stories about you, the Forgotten Hero, the madman in the blue box. Ever since you saved the planet.”  
The Doctor frowned at her. The madman in the blue box. Those were the days. “What kind of stories?”  
Clara laughed lightly. “It was always different and yet always the same. About the Doctor, the man who was never cruel or cowardly, the man who would always save the day, no matter how dangerous or how hopeless the situation was. As soon as he landed his box on a planet there was suddenly hope. As a child you were my hero.”  
The Doctor snorted and quickly glanced away. “Well, you know what they say. Never meet your idols. You'll only be disappointed.”  
Still the smile remained on her face. “I would lie awake at night, wondering what what you looked like now. Wondering if I would recognize you if I happened to cross your path. I dreamed about you taking me away to the farthest galaxy.”  
“Those stories didn't include me being stuck here, Lord President of Gallifrey?”  
Suddenly her features darkened and it took her a long time to reply. “They did. They said you fought monsters for so long that you became a monster.”  
“And they're right,” he confirmed, his voice low, “I committed genocide. I blew up entire planets fighting our enemies, planets that sometimes weren't inhabited – and sometimes they were. I sent good men to their deaths. Look out there,” he pointed to the large window overlooking the Citadel and the lands beyond, “There isn't a single being on this planet that isn't terrified of me.”  
Suddenly Clara shook her head. “It's not just them,” she corrected him, “It's everywhere. I've travelled for a while, visited a lot of planets. They're all scared. They're scared of a Dalek invasion, or even just one single Dalek. They're scared the Time Lords will come to destroy them and leave their homes in ashes. Congratulations, you might have rid the universe of almost every Dalek but in doing so you've taken their place. The Time Lords are now the most feared race in the entire universe.”  
The Doctor wasn't surprised to hear these words coming from her mouth, the real surprise was the emotion on her face that he thought to finally have deciphered.  
He frowned. “Then you should fear me, not admire me.”  
Clara only smiled at him. “I admire the man you once were. The madman in the blue box.”  
“Is that why you were trying to steal it?”  
She inhaled sharply and hesitated for a while as she took a sip from her drink. Once she had set the glass back down Clara smiled at him again.  
“Enough questions for now,” she said determinedly, “I'm hungry.”  
The Doctor watched her reach for the food and when she began to eat he decided to observe her for a while. He couldn't quite help but think that this woman was a little unhinged. She had to be crazy to even attempt breaking into the barn and everything she had said and done since seemed only to proof his initial thought. Clara had admitted that he was the most feared man in the universe and yet the first thing she had said to him had been an insult. Then there was the way she spoke about him, as if she harboured a weird admiration than was even stronger than fear.  
“So, are you disappointed?” he asked her after a moment.  
“By what?”  
The Doctor made a gesture towards his face. “You said you were wondering what I looked like now.”  
Clara took another bite off her food and considered him, all the while chewing slowly. Just when he was about to grow a little uneasy under her stare Clara swallowed.  
“It'll do,” she replied nonchalantly with a small nod.  
“I've worn other faces during my time as Lord President,” the Doctor explained, not really knowing what else to say and underlined his words with hand gestures, “One with enormous ears, a handsome one with great hair – you probably would have liked that one – and one with a really big chin.”  
“I like this one,” Clara smiled, “The hair is nice. You should try a beard. I bet it would suit you.”

Once again this conversation with Clara was leading nowhere. She had given away her home planet and her name but nothing more and she would never tell him anything, not like this. Clara was too smart so the Doctor decided to change his tactics.  
He rose from his chair and slowly made his way across the room to where Clara was sitting, looking somewhere between startled and curious as he approached her. As if by instinct she rose from her chair as well.  
“You're a strange woman, Clara,” he said with a smile and stepped a little closer until she was forced to step backwards. She did until her back hit the table.  
“What are you doing?” she asked him, but not without a hint of anticipation in her voice.  
The Doctor shrugged. “Interrogating you.”  
“Alright then,” she bit down on her lip to suppress a smile, “Interrogate me, Doctor.”  
The Doctor bent down to crush their lips together and Clara instantly reacted to him as if she had only been waiting for him to make that move. She opened her mouth and her tongue found his own, flicking and rubbing and teasing him with the promise of what it could do elsewhere on his body. The Doctor wanted to curse himself for reacting to her kiss the way he did but his blood immediately rushed south, filling him with a desire he had entirely forgotten he had. Time Lords were above sex.  
They broke the kiss after a minute, both gasping for breath but Clara was smiling. “Okay, you suck at interrogations,” she laughed, “You're never gonna make me talk with your lips pressed against mine.”  
The Doctor glared down at her. “We'll see about that,” he growled before he lifted her up. He used one arm to shove the plates out of the way and they came crashing down to the floor before he laid Clara flat across the table and kissed her more fiercely this time.  
“Everything alright in there?” came the voice of the guard outside.  
Clara parted her legs under him, wrapping them willingly around his lower back to keep him exactly where he was and suddenly he found it difficult to break the kiss. Yes, Time Lords were above sex but he had always been a pretty lousy Time Lord.  
When he had finally torn himself away from her the Doctor turned his face in the direction of the door while Clara was still panting underneath him.  
“Yes,” he called out and suddenly gave a soft moan when Clara reached between his legs, “I'm interrogating the prisoner.”  
He gathered up her skirt and found that she wasn't wearing underwear. After licking his finger he brought it down between her already wet folds and Clara moaned at the sensation.  
With a big grin on his face the Doctor called towards the door again. “Do not come in. No matter what you hear.”  
Clara was grinding her hips up against his hand, seemingly desperate to increase the friction he was causing her.  
“Tell me why you were trying to steal it,” he said, his voice low and dangerous.  
“Mhhhh,” Clara moaned when his finger entered her, “No, I won't.”  
The sounds she made seemed to shoot right through him, filling him with the the desire to bury himself inside of her hot, wet core. And he could do it, Clara would absolutely want him to.  
“Oh God,” she muttered and sucked the breath in between her teeth and he felt her muscles tighten around his fingers. The Doctor imagined what it would be like to feel the exact same reaction around his cock and almost groaned at the pure thought of it. He grew harder just thinking about it and his erection started to uncomfortably rub against the restriction of his trousers.  
“Tell me how you broke through the barrier,” he said but his voice has lost its determination. Instead it sounded strained with arousal.  
“No,” she panted and sat up, reaching between his legs again where she found his cock and gave it a hard squeeze. The Doctor couldn't help the sound that came out of his mouth that was nothing but a whimper.  
“Please,” Clara almost begged him, “I need you inside me”  
It was then that it occurred to the Doctor she had been wanting to do this all along, probably ever since she had been old enough to discover the urges of her human body. Clara had been dreaming about this ever since. She truly was more than a little unhinged.  
The Doctor reached for his belt and opened it along with his trousers before he pushed down every layer of unnecessary clothing. Clara's eyes remained fixed on him as he freed his erection and he saw her smiling.  
“Is it like you had imagined it?” he asked her teasingly, now knowing all too well that she had been thinking about this.  
Clara swallowed and looked up at him. “It'll do,” she replied but failed to hide the big grin on her face.  
Before she could say any more he pushed her back down on the table, his hand reaching for his cock to position himself at her entrance. His knees felt a little weaker the moment he buried himself inside her wet heat. She was so tight around him, so wet that he couldn't hold back the moan that came over his lips and for a brief second he considered what the guards outside might make of the noise coming from this room but decided that he didn't care. Clara gasped beneath him as he held on to her hips, directing them around his cock at an increasing speed.  
“Tell me,” he demanded breathlessly, “How did you land here?”  
“With a ship,” she panted.  
“How?!”  
He thrust harder insider her, plunging deeper, making Clara cry out in pleasure or in pain – or both.  
“Not telling you,” Clara said, followed by another moan as she clenched her muscles around him purposefully. The Doctor shut his eyes. It took all his willpower not to give in and come inside her right now. He just wanted to remain engulfed by her heat a little longer.  
Clara reached for his face and pulled him down to her lips again. The kiss was wet and sloppy and half the time he missed her mouth entirely  
“Please,” she whispered breathlessly once their lips parted, “Harder. I'm so close.”  
“Tell me,” the Doctor growled.  
“No,” she breathed but it was drowned out in a moan as he pushed deeper inside, filling her up completely before he drew back and repeated the movement. Together they rocked against the table, their rhythm becoming more and more frantic like their breathing, grunting and moaning until he could feel her muscles pulsing around him and she cried out during her climax.  
The Doctor thrust up once, twice more until the feeling of her around him started to become overwhelming and he buried himself deep inside her as a feeling of sheer pleasure and relief shot through him and he spilled himself inside of her.  
He slumped forward against her chest, his breathing and heartbeats rapid.  
“Run away with me,” Clara breathed into his ear, “Let's steal a TARDIS and run away.”  
The Doctor looked up in confusion and only now removed himself from her. The blood was slowly returning to his brain and even though his thinking was still a little clouded from their recent act he started to see things more clearly now.  
“What?” he asked her just in case he had heard her wrong as he started buttoning his trousers back up and Clara covered herself up as well.  
“Run away with me,” she smiled at him and still sounded a little out of breath, “You've done it before. Let's steal a TARDIS and see the universe.”  
So the Doctor had been right.  
“Guards!” he yelled and they came barging in only a few seconds later much to Clara's surprise. The look she gave him was one of sheer horror.  
“Yes, Lord President?”  
The Doctor glared at Clara, inspecting her again from head to toe before he spoke. “Lock her in her chamber. Guard her well,” he ordered them, “I will decide over her punishment tomorrow.”  
Clara was so surprised she didn't even protest as the guards grabbed her arms and dragged her away and only when she was out of his sight the Doctor could finally think clearly again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments :)

The Doctor tried to rest but lying on his bed, alone with his thoughts, he just couldn't find the inner peace he had hoped for. It crossed his mind that he should have executed Clara on the spot before she had even had the chance to mess with his head. How did she get here? Why had she broken into the barn? What was her goal? Why this weird fascination for him?  
With a groan the Doctor abandoned his attempts to sleep and rose from his bed. Pacing the room was better, it made it easier to think. An ordinary girl from Terra Nova who had grown up hearing heroic tales about him travelled across the planets only to end up on Gallifrey – however she had managed to do that – and attempted to steal his TARDIS. Not just any TARDIS but his own, his blue box. Was this part of her madness?  
The Doctor would give almost anything to know what was on her mind. Was Clara scared of him now? Was she thinking he would execute her for real? He really should do exactly that but first he needed to know. The Doctor needed to solve the mystery that was Clara. 

He walked over towards the intercom and after pressing a couple of buttons the display sprang to life, showing him the guest chamber where Clara was lying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling like he had done only moments ago and twiddling her thumbs. With the remote the Doctor activated the levitating surveillance camera to go closer but Clara immediately noticed. She seemed confused at first, eyeing the object flying across the room with growing interest before she got out of bed and started following it around the room.  
“Can you see me through this?” Clara asked curiously, “Are you _watching_ me?”  
The Doctor gulped, not even knowing why exactly he was spying on her. Her face looked even larger from up close as she reached out to hold it in her hands and he knew he should switch off the transmission but a part of him didn't want to at all.  
He saw Clara shrug on the monitor. “I take back what I said earlier. You _are_ cruel and you _are_ a coward,” she whispered accusingly, “The Doctor would never do the things that you've done.”  
Yes, he should have her executed for her impertinence. What did she even know about the Doctor? What did she know about his life other than a few bedtime stories about his heroic deeds? But then, if he really did execute her, wouldn't that make her right?  
“I'm thirsty,” he suddenly heard her voice again, “Could I have a glass of water?”  
The Doctor snorted. Yes, she really was impertinent but when he looked up and into her eyes again he found it hard to resist her.  
“Please?”  
He growled and pressed the button closing the video transmission. The Doctor should have her die of thirst – but then he'd never know, would he?

His legs were moving towards the door before the Doctor had even made up his mind and grabbed the carafe from his dining table in passing. The guards stepped out of his way, not even asking questions as he barged into her room, startling her in the process.  
“There,” he yelled angrily and set the carafe down with a loud bang, spilling half the content on the table, “Here's your water. Can't have anyone say I'm not treating my prisoners nicely before I have them killed.”  
Once Clara had gotten over her shock of his surprise visit she scoffed. “No,” she said calmly, “You're not going to kill me.”  
“You seem awfully sure about that,” the Doctor hissed at her but couldn't deny that she was at least a little bit right. He hadn't made his mind up about it yet.  
Clara's eyes wandered towards the carafe and suddenly a frown appeared on her face. “What? I'm supposed to drink out of that?”  
“Don't push me,” he warned, his voice sharp and cold, “I'm not a patient man.”  
She sighed and walked over towards the table. The Doctor watched as she lifted the carafe to her mouth and drank until it was half empty. Once she had finished Clara inhaled sharply and set the water back down before she came to look at him.  
“How about we make a deal?” she suggested, “I'm going to tell you _why_ I tried to steal your TARDIS.”  
The Doctor raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “You would tell me? Just like that?”  
Clara shrugged again. “See it as a thank you for the water,” she said, “Besides, that's the info you _want_ , not the one you _need_.”  
He considered her offer for a moment before he came to rest with his back against the table and crossed his arms in front of his chest. It could be a trick. But he was too curious.  
“Alright. Tell me.”  
With a sigh Clara sank down on her bed and stared at him, hesitating a long time before she spoke.  
“I've told you that I grew up with your stories, that all the kids did, about the hero in the blue box that would always save the day. It gave us hope for a future without fear.”  
“Why were you afraid?” the Doctor asked in confusion, “You were children.”  
“That's exactly the point. We should have grown up protected and safe and yet we saw the fear in our parents' eyes at only the mention of a Dalek or a Time Lord. You might think the Time War is over here on Gallifrey but it's not over out there,” Clara told him, her voice grave, “People live in fear of you all the time. And it's not just Terra Nova, it's everywhere I went. They need hope, Doctor.”  
The Doctor understood what she was telling him, he understood why they were afraid – but still not why she had tried to steal his TARDIS.  
“What did you want with my TARDIS? Any other TARDIS on this planet would have been much simpler to steal. Why mine? And can you even _fly_ it?”  
Clara shrugged with a smile. “I would have tried. I've heard they can work telepathically.”  
He scoffed in reply. “Then you're not brave but stupid. You'd have never even found the light switch.”  
“Then I would've died trying,” she replied stubbornly, a frown appearing on her face.  
This woman truly was mad.  
“ _Why?_ ”  
Clara exhaled sharply and closed her eyes, shaking her head for a moment before she started to laugh. Under normal circumstances the Doctor would have lost his patience with her but there was something about her, something fascinating. Maybe he was as almost as crazy for her as she was with for by now.  
“You really don't get it, do you?” Clara asked him, “You have no idea how much they loved you. Not just the children but the adults, too. Everyone loved you. They dream about that blue box every single night, hoping that one day you will come back and protect them like you have done so many times before.”  
The way she spoke about him, her voice so full of warmth, so full of kindness, almost made him believe it.  
“They don't need soldiers. They don't need kings or presidents. They need a Doctor,” she said almost pleadingly, “They need the man with the box to call for help with, the man with the screwdriver to fix things with. _The universe needs a Doctor._ ”  
“Well,” he cleared his throat, “I'm stuck here now. And I think I've saved them often enough.”  
“That's why I tried to steal it,” Clara said as if it should have been obvious all along, “You might not think the universe needs you so very much but it does and if you're not up for the job then someone else is going to have to take your place. I just needed the box.”  
“Is that a cause worth dying for?”  
“Yes,” she replied determinedly and stared straight into his eyes.  
It was then that the Doctor changed his mind about her. If Clara was mad, then she was just as mad as he had been before the war. She saw the best in everything and she wanted to help out as best as she could. He had been like that once.  
“I'm asking you one last time,” she said softly, a smile on her face, “Let's steal a TARDIS and run away.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so, so much for the comments! I'm glad you all enjoyed the story so much :) Well, I will try to finish The Last Journey this week and then give me a week or two to plan out my next longfic, which will be called The Parenting Adventure, and yep, it's a post Hell Bent Whouffaldi baby fic with humour and fluff and romance and I think we can all use a little break from the angst I usually put in my stories.

The cloister bells bellowed, making it almost impossible to think clearly while the Castellan strode along the corridors to the Lord President's chamber only to find it empty as well.  
“Gone,” he cursed, “They're both gone!”  
He slammed his fist on the table, flinching at the pain he had caused himself before he turned his attention to his men who were standing by, awaiting orders.  
“What are you waiting for?!” the Castellan yelled, “Find them! Bring the Lord President back here and shoot the girl! Sent out these orders to every single guard on this planet.”  
“But sir,” one of the soldiers protested, “We don't know where they've gone.”  
The Castellan took a deep breath in defeat. “There's only one place the Doctor would go and if he reaches the barn he is never going to come back.”  
The man nodded right before they hurried out the room and when the Castellan turned towards the window he could have sworn he saw two small figures running through the darkness across the desert.

* * *

Clara giggled as they ran, holding hands so as not lose each other and even though they still had a while before they would reach the barn the Doctor felt free already. 1200 years he had been stuck on this planet, 1200 years of ruling and giving orders and utter boredom. He had almost forgotten why he had run away in the first place until Clara had reminded him. He didn't belong here. He belonged out there, travelling through time and space in his blue box. The Doctor had forgotten who he was and given in to cruelty and the temptation that came with holding so much power.  
The stars lit their way across the desert and they ran and ran, away from the Citadel, away from the tolling cloister bells that announced their escape, away from everything he had come to hate and hadn't even realized that he had.  
“Stop giggling,” the Doctor ordered her grimly.  
“Not gonna happen,” she laughed wholeheartedly, “I've dreamed about this since I was a little girl.”  
“Well,” the Doctor said quietly before he pulled her down to hide behind a couple of rocks, “Your dream might still burst like a bubble because I think they're on to us.”  
“What?” Clara asked, sounding a little panicked.  
The Doctor pointed towards a black spot moving through the night. The longer he looked the surer he became that it was a small troop of soldiers marching in the direction of the barn. There already were too many soldiers posed around the barn. If they joined them the Doctor and Clara would never make it inside.  
“What do we do?” she whispered just in case other soldiers were close enough to hear them.  
He hesitated for a long moment. “I'm not entirely sure.”  
“Well, can't we sneak past them? How many could there be?” she asked, “I'm sure we can make it.”  
The Doctor cocked an eyebrow at her. “I'm sorry but you were caught on your first attempt when there were less soldiers around. Excuse me if I don't take your advice in this case.”  
Both remained silent for a while as they watched the soldiers pass by. They could see them more clearly now as they came closer and they counted no less than six. They could never beat them in combat.  
“You're the Lord President, can't you just order them away?” Clara asked after a moment.  
The Doctor sighed. If only it was that easy. “The Time Lords distrust me, they always have. They made me Lord President because I saved them all, because only I was able to end the Time War. I stopped being their Lord President the moment I freed you and escaped from the Citadel.”  
He heard Clara take a deep breath next to him. “Okay, so, ordering them away is off the table and so is sneaking past them. I wouldn't try to fight them either, I'm not so good in combat if weapons are involved.”  
“Is there any other kind of combat?”  
“Well, I'm good in an argument. And I talked you into running away,” she argued and suddenly it gave him an idea. Clara was right. Even though after his own rules he should have executed her she had successfully changed his mind and more. And she still hadn't answered all of his questions.  
“Seeing as I didn't kill you and we're about to run away together, wanna tell me how you landed on Gallifrey?” he whispered.  
Suddenly Clara started to laugh. “I came here on board of an evacuation ship from one of the planets that had been destroyed in a Dalek invasion. Been here three weeks.”  
The Doctor turned around, gawking at her. “But-”  
“Yeah, I made you all think I was clever and managed to find a way past the shields,” she giggled again, “When in fact the ship I was on landed here with your permission and I only sneaked away before they could write down my name or take my pictures.”  
“You tricked us,” the Doctor realized.  
“Yeah and it worked better than I had expected.”  
The Doctor wasn't sure whether to be disappointed or impressed but eventually he started to laugh. He hadn't really realized it before but now it was beginning to dawn on him that he liked her. That was absolutely something he would have done, too. Back when he was still the madman in the blue box. Oh, but he would be that man again very soon and all thanks to Clara.  
“But what gave you the idea to even come here and try to steal it? What made you think you even _could_?”  
“I always thought I could do it, ever since I was a child. Like I said, I was raised with your stories. Stories about the impossible man,” Clara explained, “Just for the last bit I had some help.”  
“Help?” the Doctor asked immediately, “What sort of help?”  
Clara took a deep breath. “There was a woman. I don't know her name. She was dressed in a very old-fashioned way. She told me where to find a ship and when it would be leaving for Gallifrey and where I was likely to find your TARDIS. She seemed to know you well. Old friend of yours?”  
The Doctor shook his head. “I don't have old friends. Only old enemies.”  
“Maybe she was one of those then.”

Suddenly there was a sound coming from the direction of the city and when the Doctor turned around to have a look he saw that they were running out of time. An entire army was on its way to the barn and they would find them. They would bring him back and they would kill Clara. He had to act quickly.  
“Clara, we need to create a diversion,” he concluded and stared intently at her, “You're good with words. You need to distract them so I can sneak into the barn and get to the TARDIS.”  
“But what about me?!” she looked scared now, more scared than she had when he had threatened her with execution, “You're going to leave me behind!”  
The Doctor smiled at her. “Clara, I would _never_ leave you behind. I will sneak into the barn and materialize the TARDIS around you. Both of us will never make it inside the barn and we have to do something quickly because there's an army on its way and they will capture us both or worse.”  
Clara gulped.  
“You have to trust me, Clara.”  
It took her a moment but finally she nodded and both of them rose up from behind the rocks. While he made his way around the barn to sneak inside from behind the Doctor watched as Clara walked straight ahead towards the small army posed around the front door and he prayed that he hadn't made a big mistake. He would have to be quick and once they were out of here he would show her the stars. Clara, the woman that had made him see sense, the woman that had made him remember who he really was. He would show her the stars and she would love it. Oh, they would have a blast.

“Hey, you lot,” Clara shouted at the soldiers who immediately started to approach her, “I heard you were looking for me. I thought we were gonna play hide and seek for a while but I've been hiding for an hour and it's getting a little boring now.”  
“Where's the Doctor?” one of the soldiers asked her, “What have you done with the Lord President?”  
She snorted. “Me? Nothing! He tried to kill me and I escaped. Whacked him over the head,” Clara shrugged casually and pointed back to the Citadel, “He's lying there somewhere in the sand.”  
The Doctor watched as the soldiers exchanged a few words before half of them ran off in the direction of the city. She had done it. Clara had really done it.  
Quietly he walked the last few steps up to the back door and sneaked inside the barn. The TARDIS took the centre of it, standing proudly like it had always done, if a little dustier than usual. It was more beautiful than he had remembered it and just for a second the Doctor allowed himself to gently brush the dust off the wood.

Then suddenly the Doctor heard an soul crushing scream. Clara! 

He drew out his key rushed inside the police box where the TARDIS interior came to life immediately as if it had only been waiting for him these past 1200 years. The Doctor programmed it and a few seconds later Clara's outline started coming into focus next to him.  
Once the TARDIS had finished materializing around her the Doctor ran up to her only to have Clara break down right into his arms. Together they sank towards the floor.  
“Clara!” the Doctor shouted and held her head up but her eyes were unfocused as if she wasn't seeing him at all.  
“Too late,” she breathed with a sad smile and only now the Doctor saw the blood that was all over her chest. They had shot her. And they were going to pay for that. The Doctor could feel the anger rise up inside of him.  
“Clara, stay with me,” he urged her but he knew there was nothing he could do. There was simply too much blood. But it wasn't too late for revenge, “They'll pay for this.”  
“No,” Clara said with all the strength she could muster, “Don't. The universe. . . needs a Doctor.”  
The Doctor watched helplessly as she started to slip away and the only thing he could do was to hold her. He wished there was a something he could do. Anything. But right now he, the most powerful man in the galaxy, was absolutely powerless.  
“Clara,” he said softly and brushed a strand of hair out of her face, “I was going to show you the stars. I was going to take you to so many places, Clara, you would have loved them.”  
Again she smiled even though she must have been in pain.  
“I was going to make your childhood dream come true,” he whispered but Clara had already closed her eyes.  
“Run,” she mumbled, her voice hardly audible any more, “Run you clever boy. And remember me.”  
“I will,” he replied.

Clara died in his arms only minutes later and for the first time in 1200 years the Doctor allowed himself to cry. She had been brave and bold and she had given her life to save his. The Doctor would never forget that. And he vowed to honour her by doing exactly what she would have wanted. He would bring her body home and then he would run away and be a Doctor, starting with the Dalek Asylum.


End file.
